The Greensboro Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society (NRHS) maintains a small museum in the entranceway to the former Greensboro Railway Express Agency building that is rented from the city, is part of the transportation complex and is shared with the Carolina Model Railroaders.  The NRHS periodically acquires railroad artifacts for display, particularly those with links to North Carolina and to Greensboro specifically.  Below are recent acquisitions.

 

A railroad switch key and a conductor uniform cuff button from the North Carolina Railroad (NCRR) are seen below, circa unknown, but both probably dating before the 1870s.  The North Carolina Railroad Company was incorporated in 1849 and subsequently built a cross-state railroad that presently extends 317 miles, from Charlotte in the southern Piedmont to Morehead City on the Atlantic coast.  It is an historic property that brought progress to what was largely an isolated agrarian economy and continues to serve business by leasing the line to Norfolk Southern Railway and by serving passengers through the use of the railroad with ten passenger trains a day, operated by both the North Carolina Department of Transportation and Amtrak.  Switch keys such as the NCRR one seen below are 2" in length and are used to release padlocks that prevent unauthorized individuals from unlocking a device that guides (switches) trains from one track to another.  Antique items from the North Carolina Railroad are rarely seen.  

 

 

Cape Fear & Yadkin Valley Railway (CF&YV) cuff and jacket buttons are seen below, circa 1880's-1890's.  This railroad was chartered in 1879 and ran from Mt. Airy NC to Wilmington NC, passing through Greensboro.  After financial difficulties caused the aquisition of the southern half of the line by the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad and the northern segment by the Southern Railway, the latter portion became the Southern Railway's subsidiary, the Atlantic & Yadkin Railway (A&Y).  The A&Y was headquartered in Greensboro, had Jefferson Pilot Insurance Company CEO Julian Price as its president and was fully absorbed into Southern Railway in 1950.  Parts of the CF&YV still exist under the ownership of other railroads, but much of the Greensboro portion has been converted to a recreational trail.  Prior to the aquisition of these buttons, our historical society had only seen CF&YV paper ephemera as collectibles.  

The Greensboro Chapter of the NRHS has also recently acquired a pass from the North Carolina Railroad (NCRR) dated from 1868.  Passes were issued by a railroad for free travel to employees, important people and to employees of other railroads.  This one was issued to a ticket agent on the Western & Atlantic Railroad (W&A RR) in Georgia by the NCRR.  The W&A RR was made famous in 1862 when Civil War Union raiders stole a W&A RR locomotive named the "General" and were then chased by Confederate troops in another train pulled by a locomotive named the "Texas."  Ultimately, the Union men were caught and hanged and both locomotives are on display in Georgia. 

Covid interrupted and slowed the progress, but a substantial amount of work has been completed on the new Carolina Model Railroad layout, thanks to the efforts of a dedicated team of club members.   

The original DC layout with HO, N and HOn3 scale trackage was constructed the 1970's in one of the former waiting rooms at the ex-Southern Railway train station adjacent to our current location in the former Railway Express Agency building.  When the station was renovated beginning in 2001, the club moved to a former knitting mill in northeast Greensboro and then to our current location in October 2003.  It and the current layout have been DCC since then, with electronics by Digitrax. In 2019, the 2003 layout was dismantled and a new adventure was begun. 

Below is the track plan for the HO portion of our new layout depicting the Piedmont, Sandhills and western North Carolina.  

The HO layout has 1200 feet of code 83 track, 42 yard switches, five rivers and 174 structures, as of December 2022.

 

Below is the N scale freelanced (not meant to represent any specific area) layout. 

 

Seen above is the entire length of the layout room in the former Greensboro Railway Express Agency building, with the HO portion of the layout in the foreground and the N scale portion in the far distance. 

                                                       

It's a hot summer day as the local switcher shuttles a few cars down a branch line on the HO layout (above).

The N scale layout is seen above.  

One of two mines and backdrop on the N scale layout (above).  

Metrolink F59PH about to depart the station on the HO (above)

The Santa Fe "El Capitan" is about to pass a Union Pacific reefer block on the N scale layout. 

 

Scenes (above) on the HO

Indiana Harbor Belt genset loco pulling tank train on the HO layout. 

On our HO layout, the NCDOT goes to all NC towns.

No conductors standing on the back of cabooses any longer except on the CMR.  

 

Central of Georgia FM H15-44 pulling a short freight on the HO.

 

The HO model in the two photos below is of Evonik Stockhausen Chemical in Greensboro.  A fixture in Greensboro for years, it is the largest manufacturer in the world of a super-absorbent polymer that is used in diapers and similar products, producing over 100,000 metric tons a year. 

 

It's the late 1980's and the Susquehanna's new GE B40-8's are hauling on the HO (above)

 

Heavy freight passing the HO grain elevators (above).

 N&W local freight on the N scale (above)

 

A big 4-6-4 eases into a busy little depot one morning in 1940 on the HO                                                                            

Switching the HO layout with a BN GP-15 one afternoon (above)

At Pomona Yard (above). 

The people living in these houses are all railfans. 

 

It's 1965 and a Southern Railway freight is passin' through with four F units in charge. 

US Army Transportation Corps HO train pulled by 65-ton Whitcomb (above)

It's a busy day on the back dock at the HO scale Bartlett Milling.  

 

The HO Greensboro Pomona Yard, with the Colonial Pipeline petroleum tank farm in the background. The actual Pomona Yard has a capacity of over 800 freight cars. Colonial's 600-acre Greensboro complex is the largest on their 5500 mile system, with pipeline branches to other cities in the eastern US that daily deliver 3 million barrels of 86 types of petroleum products.  

 

Pulling freight through the edge of town on the HO (above)

5000hp GE U50 pounding over an old stone bridge on the HO.

Another view of the HO layout (above) and the N scale layout in the distance

A Southern Pacific Daylight GS-4 steam locomotive is in command of a passenger train on the N scale (above)

The new HO National Pipe and Plastic facility in Colfax NC is nearly complete

Other scenes from around the HO layout below -   

 

 

 

 

Digitrax power station for the N scale layout  

Scenes around the HO (above and below)

 

 

 

 Views of the CMR 2004-2019 HO and N scale layouts (above) in the REA building

 

The 1970's - 2001 CMR HO, N and HOn3 layouts in the former west waiting room of the Greensboro Southern Railway passenger station are seen below 

 

 

MOVING TO OUR PRESENT LOCATION                        OCTOBER 3, 2003.  

CMR moved into the former Railway Express Agency Building as the first occupant after the $31 million refurbishment of the former Southern Railway Greensboro station (now the Douglas Galyon Transportation Complex).  We'd been in the former Cone Mills Revolution knitting mill as a temporary home while the 2001-2003 renovation took place, having formerly been located in the station's west waiting room since the 1970's.  Although there were still tasks to be done, the entire move took one day, with trains running by evening.  Photos of that day are below.  

CAROLINA MODEL RAILROADERS, INC.

Founded in 1973, the purpose of the Carolina Model Railroaders is to promote model railroading, build and operate model railroad layouts, and to foster fellowship among persons interested in model railroading. Membership in the Carolina Model Railroaders is open to any person interested in the goals of the organization.

 

We are currently building an HO Scale (1:87) layout extending southeast to the Sandhills and west to the North Carolina mountains.

 

Our club models in two primary scales, N and HO. However, we built and maintained the O-gauge layout at the Greensboro Children’s Museum that was displayed for about 9 years. We also operate a Z-scale layout at shows and special occasions.

 

Our club is open to all who wish to promote and further model railroading. Family participation is encouraged and visitors are always welcome.

 

CMR Hours: We will open to the public June 5 2021.  Visitors must observe posted protective regulations.
CMR Club Meetings open to public we meet every Thursday at 7:00pm; Saturday 10am-5pm and Sunday 2-5pm
Location: GALYON DEPOT, RAILWAY EXPRESS AGENCY BUILDING, NEXT TO GREYHOUND TERMINAL

Address: 234-B East Washington St, Greensboro, NC 27401

Mailing Address: Post Office Box 13642, Greensboro, NC 27415-3642

Phone Number: 336-312-4198 

 

NATIONAL RAILWAY HISTORICAL SOCIETY 

From the "glory days" of steam locomotion to today's fast-paced world of high-speed urban transports, railroading has played a key role in developing our vast American landscape. The Greensboro Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society works to preserve this heritage by bringing together a core group of individuals dedicated to reliving the past glories and future possibilities of the world's most exciting form of transportation. Founded in 1977, the Greensboro Chapter is but one of over 160 chapters located throughout the U.S. and Canada.

 

Activities include monthly meetings, a library, trips to places of railroad interest, and railroad excursions on some of the Piedmont's most exciting railway systems. We also enjoy railroad literature, music, poetry, and meeting railroad people. Family participation is encouraged and visitors are always welcome. 

 

We also operate a small museum in the lobby of the  former Railway Express Agency building, with exhibits focused on Greensboro area railroad history.  On display are lanterns, conductor uniform parts, photos, artifacts from freight and passenger trains and the bell attributed to be from the locomotive that was the subject of the famous song "Wreck of the Old 97."  This tragic accident of the Southern Railway train called The Fast Mail happened in Danville VA in 1903.

 

 Greeensboro Chapter NRHS museum area, showing steam locomotive bell attributed to the Wreck of the Old 97 engine.

The NRHS is a non-profit section 501(c)(3) organization, and contributions are tax-deductible.

 

NRHS Club Meetings: WE'VE MET EVERY THIRD MONDAY AT 7:00 PM BY ZOOM DURING COVID BUT WATCH THIS SPACE FOR EXPECTED CHANGES AS RESTRICTIONS ARE LIFTED

Location: GALYON DEPOT, RAILWAY EXPRESS AGENCY BUILDING, NEXT TO GREYHOUND TERMINAL

Mailing Address: Greensboro Chapter NRHS, PO Box 16745 Greensboro, NC 27416

Phone Number: (336) 908-2321